Power blender

ABSTRACT

A mixing machine which comprises a plurality of hollow legs attached to a rotating shaft wherein each of the legs extends from the shaft at predetermined angle and wherein all of the legs pass through a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the shaft.

0 United States Patent u113,552,724

[72] Inventor Gail J. Thomsen [56] References Cited 708 28th Sh, Union City, NJ. 07087 UNITED STATES PATENTS Q55;- 133 1968 1,997,935 4/1935 Johnson 259/57 [45] Patented 1105,1971 2,901,227 8/l959 Russum 259/81(A) Primary Examiner-William i. Price Attorney-Sherman and Shalloway [54] POWER BLENDER 5 claims 2 Drawing Figs ABSTRACT: A mixing machine which comprises a plurality [52] 0.8. 259/81 of hollow legs attached to a rotating shaft wherein each of the [51] Int. Cl B0lf9/02 legs extends from the shaft at predetermined angle and [50] Field of Search 259/3, 14, wherein all of the legs pass through a plane perpendicular to 30, 57. 81 the axis of rotation of the shaft.

32 MODE OF ROTATION AXIS OF ROTA- TION 1e 2 L L i PATENTEU JAN 5m 35521724 AXIS OF ROTA- TION llllll H I] H II H II II II II [I H II H H H II II 1] INT] v INVENTOR 2 GAIL THOMSEN ATTORNEY rowan BLENDER This invention broadly relates to" mixing and blending devices. More specifically, the invention relates to machines .:for mixing materials such as powders orliquids which may be compatible or incompatible wherein the heterogeneous charge is constantly caused to reverse its direction of flow while rotating aboutafixed axis.

Previously used devices for mixing powders and liquids have been found to be inefficient or inoperative when concerned with heterogeneous charges composed of different sized particles or liquids of differing specific gravities. It has been found that these materials are difficult to 'mix' in conventional blenders since those blenders tend to form areas of stagnation wherein some of the charge remains dormant and is not subjected to motion. In these machines the. mixed components are not thoroughly mixed and a nonhomogeneous product is obtained. When dealing with certain types of charges, for example, pharamceutical charges, it is. essential to have a homogeneously blended product since 'aproduct having locally concentrated components can'bejineffective and possible dangerous. Furthermore, when dealing with any heterogeneous mixture of materials it is not desirable to' have locally concentrated areas in the producLThe formation of locally concentrated areas is dueto-thedeficiencies in prior machines which enable areas or corners of, stagnation to occur, thus eliminating a portion of the chargein the mixing operation. I

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a mixing or blending device which is adapted to produce homogeneous mixtures from heterogeneous charges.

Another object is to provide the subject mixing device which is capable of thorough mixing in a relatively short period of time.

Still another object is to provide'a mixing apparatus which is capable of continuously agitating and'tumbling a charge thus avoiding the formation of stagnantareas and the production of nonhomogeneous products. 1

Still another object is to provide the subject mixing device wherein the materials charged are subjected to constant motion and are constantly reversing the direction of flow while rotating about a fixed axis.

Other objects of the invention includethe provision of a simple compact mixing device capable -'of handling -various charges both liquid and solid. a I

Still another object is to provide'a mixing device which is capable of imparting both horizontal and'vertical movement toacharge.

These and other objects and features of this invention are further described in detail in connection with the accompanying drawings. in the drawings like numerals represent like elements and a specific apparatus is disclosed by way of nonlimiting example capable of performing the invention.

FIG. I is a perspective view of an apparatus utilizing the novel mixing container of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the novel mixing container taken B. All of the legs extend in the same general direction, that is toward one end of shaft 12. Since all of the legs extend in the same direction, all of the legs pass through a single plane arranged perpendicularly to the shaft'l2.

Each of the legs 10 is hollow and may be cylindrical'or rectangular. Any suitable geometrical arrangement may be provided in the individual legs 10. The manner of attaching legs 10 to shaft 12 may use any conventionally used device. ln this respect, it is noted that the method of attaching the legs to the shaft will be determined primarily by the nature of the materials of construction of the shaftl-2 and the legs 10. As

shown in FIG. 1, the legs 10 are attached to shaft 12 by means of aligned trunnions 30. Trunnions 30arecarried by shaft 12 and are caused to rotate when shaft l2rotates. The device used to cause rotation of shaft 12 include a motor 38 having an attached drive element and gear arrangement 40 extending through bearings 32 and connected to shaft 12. Shaft 12 is supported on base 36 by supports 34 which also support'the noted bearings 32 and drive means 40. As shown in FIG. 1 the hollowelements may becharged by means of a pivoted cap 42 attached to the end of at least one leg 10. A hinge 44 is provided for attaching cap 42 to leg 10 and a securing element 46 which may be a screw fastener extends through cap 42 to an attachment-48 carried by the leg 10. It is possible to provide the hinged cap on each leg 10 or it may be possible to utilize a cap-on only'one leg having the other leg sealed.

Turning to FIG. 2 an end view of the novel leg arrangement is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 2 legs 10 extend from shaftl2 which is also the axis of rotation in adiverging relationship. Each individual leg 10 extends in a fseparate but aligned direction with respect to shaft 12. The angle between the legs noted as 1r may vary according to the specific design desired. Referring again to FIG. 1 the angles L'and B which represents the divergence between one leg and the shaft l2.may further vary; however, an angle of 45 is generally suitable for maximum efficiency in mixing. The length'of the elements 10 can vary considerably and will of course depend upon the intended use of the mixing apparatus: That is, pharmaceutical mixing devices can contain small quantities of material, while commercial establishments may desire larger volumetric capacity. The length and diameter of elements 10 is in no way limiting to the present invention,'ri or the angles L and B so long as said angles are not 90. The angle for maximum eff ciency should be between 0 and 45and while it may be possible to use an angle between 45 and 190, such is not as desirable. The angles are determined primarily by the nature of the materials being blended. Powders are found to blend most efficiently when an angle of 45 is chosen. Furthermore, the number of legs may be varied, and "in this respect the angle is also variable. It has been found that at least three legs should be utilized for proper blending. The number of legs can vary between three and any desired number, which number will of course vary with the dimensions of the legs and the shaft [2.

In operation materials may be charged by means of hinged cap 42 to the hollow mixing container defined by diverging legs 10. The materials to be mixed need not be preliminarily mixed in any manner and they may be separately charged to the container defined by legs 10. When each element has been charged, the cap 42 is closed and' s'ecured by means of screw fastener 46. Then, rotation is initiated by suitable switching elements attached to motor 38. When rotation is initiated, it will be seen that the materials will flow to the end of a tube as it is in its lowermost position, and when that tube is rotated to the upper most position the materials reverse the direction of flow and flow back downwardly under the influence of gravity. Furthermore, as an individual leg moves from the lowermost position to the upper most position a tumbling effect is achieved wherein the materials are subjected to angular mixing as well as mixing along the cone of rotation defined by an individual element 10. Thus, in operation the materials within .10 are joined in the general vicinity of area 14 which corresponds to the apex of the hollow elements. The apex is hollow so that if the mixing apparatus were stationary materials would flow down from the upper most leg: 10 in a plane corresponding to the angle L and would then flow downwardly through the bottom most leg in a plane defined by the angle B. When the mixing apparatus is operating, this reversal of direction further compliments the reversal which was Thus, it is seen that the present invention provides a container adapted to house materials to be mixed which will continuously submit'these materials to agitation and flow with continuous reversal of flow, thus avoiding areas of stagnation within the container. By avoiding areas of stagnation, it is possible to achieve a homogeneously mixed product in a simple and economical manner.

While no specific apparatus is intended to limit the present invention, it may be noted that suitable components for use with the invention include the provision of the illustrated motor 38 and drive chain 40. Other means of driving shaft 12 l may be utilized; for example, direct drive or gear trains may be utilized. Additionally other means of mounting container may be utilized so long as the axis of rotation is generally horizontal and the legs 10 diverge from that axis. A suitable motor for use is a small horsepower electrical motor capable of operating on a 60-cycle 3-phase 220 volt AC current which is conventionally supplied by domestic outlets. Of course, it is possible to use DC motors.

The materials of construction may be generally any sturdy and durable composition which is capable of being formed into hollow elements. The elements 10 may for example comprise a plastic, such as high density polyethylene or polypropylene or acrylic resins, alternatively metal containers may be utilized; however, this is somewhat more expensive. The shaft 12 may be any conventionally used rotational shaft. The shaft has conventionally been formed of metal, but is is possible to utilize plastic elements for the shaft. By way of dimensions, it is not considerednecessary to limit'the invention by referring to anyspecific dimension. The only critical dimension features are the angles L, B and n' which as noted above, will vary considerably depending upon the specific use intended for the machine. The only limitationon' these angles is that the angles L and B should not-be Having described the invention in full, clear and concise terms=; it shouldbe pointed out that the language used 'iiv-the'"discl6sure is not limiting, but is used merely for illustrating the nature of theinvention. The invention is described and'is limited only-by the claims. 1 1

I claim: '2 2!} I 1. In a mixing apparatus comprising a rotatable shaft; means to'rotate said shaft, and a plurality ofcontiguous hollow elements extending from said shaft, the improvement wherein all of said hollow elements extend at angles of: less than 90 from said shaft and in a common direction withrespect to a plane arranged perpendicularly to said shaft. .1

2. The apparatus of claim lwherein said angles are 45. 7

3. The'apparatus of claim 1 wherein four hollow elements are provided.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said four hollow elements are arranged at 90 to each other. 7

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said angle is 45. 

1. In a mixing apparatus comprising a rotatable shaft, means to rotate said shaft, and a plurality of contiguous hollow elements extending from said shaft, the improvement wherein all of said hollow elements extend at angles of less than 90* from said shaft and in a common direction with respect to a plane arranged perpendicularly to said shaft.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said angles are 45*.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein four hollow elements are provided.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said four hollow elements are arranged at 90* to each other.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said angle is 45*. 